Measuring of Extracurricular Activities' Quality as a Tool for Management of Extracurricular Education Organization

This research focuses on the development and validation of a universal system for assessing the quality of extracurricular activities, irrespective of their format and content. The approach is based on evaluating students' experiences and their perceptions of the educational process. The authors identify four key dimensions of quality: teaching, psychological climate, student engagement, and positive emotions. To validate the developed scale, consisting of 21 parameters, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted on a sample of 2,122 students aged 9 to 17. The results demonstrated a good fit for both the four-factor and hierarchical models to the data. Reliability analysis revealed satisfactory internal consistency of the scales, with Cronbach's alpha values ranging from 0.59 to 0.80. Regression analysis confirmed a strong positive relationship between the quality of extracurricular activities and academic achievement, social skills, and overall well-being of the students. Particularly noticeable improvements in academic performance and socio-emotional skills were observed among students who participated in high-quality extracurricular programs for more than two years. Notably, students' socio-economic status showed no significant impact on this relationship. The research provides a reliable tool for monitoring and enhancing the quality of extracurricular programs, contributing to the holistic development and educational success of students.